by Daniel Siryoti
Cairo officials: Hamas must decide whether group "takes its orders from Tehran or continues to implement understandings for calm" on Israel-Gaza border
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi
Photo: Reuters
Israel Hayom has learned that alongside Jerusalem's decision to postpone the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas following the escalation on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip,
Egypt has issued the terrorist organization's political bureau chief
Ismail Haniyeh an ultimatum. Cairo has made it clear Haniyeh must decide
whether "Hamas takes its orders from Tehran or continues to implement
the understandings for calm" formulated by the head of Egyptian
intelligence Abbas Kamel.
A senior Egyptian intelligence official
told Israel Hayom that senior Hamas members, chief among them Haniyeh,
had contacted Kamel with the request that Israel be sent the message
that "Hamas was not involved in the grave events on the border."
Hamas further asked the Egyptian
intelligence chief to "prevent the postponement of the transfer of the
money from Qatar." Haniyeh clarified that "Hamas will not ignore the
Islamic Jihad's provocations, which were carried out at the direct order
of Tehran."
The source said that while "Hamas was
furious that senior Islamic Jihad officials did everything they could to
bring about an escalation in the security situation in Gaza that
postponed the transfer of money from Qatar to the [Gaza] strip," they
did not expect the Egyptian ultimatum, which pushed them into a corner.
The Egyptian official's remarks come as
Egypt and other Sunni Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and other
Persian Gulf states are hoping to keep Iran from establishing itself
militarily in Gaza as it has done in Yemen and Syria, at the same time
as it eyes other Sunni Arab states.
Israel Hayom has further learned from the
Egyptian official that Cairo made it clear to Haniyeh that "Egypt has no
plans to take part in the indirect talks Qatari emissary [to Gaza]
Mohammed al-Emadi is conducting on the issue of the postponed transfer
of funds to Gaza." This is due to the bitter rivalry between Qatar and
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi meets with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
in Gaza City, Thursday
Qatar has been accused of providing
support, funding and shelter to terrorist organizations and their
operatives, including radical Sunni Islamic terrorist groups directed by
Hamas' umbrella movement movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was
outlawed in Egypt and other Gulf states, as well as Shiite terrorist
organizations like Hezbollah, which take their orders from Tehran.
The Egyptian official emphasized that "it
was made clear to Haniyeh and the heads of Hamas that Cairo would not
lay the groundwork for Qatar's moves in Gaza, and Egypt has no intention
of intervening in the event a military confrontation breaks out in Gaza
because Hamas is looking the other way at the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad's provocations that come at the orders of Tehran."
He said Cairo relayed to Hamas the message
that it was to blame for the crisis "and that they will need to deal
with it and contain the IDF's attacks so that they can get the money
from Qatar."
Daniel Siryoti
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/01/25/egypt-issues-ultimatum-to-hamas-on-cooperation-with-iran/
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